5/21/25
Today, our guest speaker was Louis Dooley, founder & Executive Director of Philemon House (https://philemonhouse.org/).
His presentation dealt with his life story: being raised in East St. Louis, his criminal history and conviction for attempted murder, being incarcerated for 15 years, and while imprisoned how an introduction to Bible study changed his life. His story/journey is recounted in Prison Saved My Life, available from Amazon and Apple Books.
The Philemon House mission is to introduce incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth, men and women to Jesus, and help incarcerated youth transition back to society. This discipleship takes place in youth and adult jails/prisons as well as in the discipleship house:
- The in-prison youth ministry utilizes Bible based ministry materials in small groups.
- Discipleship House: Male youth who have participated in the in-prison ministry and shown a desire for growth can apply to become residents of the Discipleship House. The selected youth engage in a family life-model that aims to modify their behavior in five key areas: spiritual, personal, financial, educational, and occupational. The ministry’s main objectives are to break the cycle of incarceration and make disciples.
